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Ready to Make This Your Best Year Ever? Start by Asking for Help

January 30, 2019

Are you beginning the year with an exciting new job or well-deserved promotion? Have you been tapped to champion that company-wide, high-visibility initiative you’ve had your eye on? Are you taking on more clients than ever before? Congratulations! You’re ready to make this your best year ever.

Let me ask you, though: Did you stop and think through the help you’ll need to achieve the level of success you envision? Or are you thinking that you’ll do everything yourself?

Too often, we fear we’ll look weak if we ask for assistance – or we don’t see the whole picture from the get-go, and we wait too long before reaching out. The truth is, even those at the pinnacle of their careers never hesitate to ask for help – especially when taking on something new.

Consider my friend Lenny Pickett, long-time musical director for Saturday Night Live – it's his distinctive saxophone we hear in the opening credits and throughout the show. This past year, Lenny was asked to serve as musical director for the Emmy Awards – a complex endeavor that requires hundreds of musical details.

Yet before he even hummed a melody, Lenny picked up the phone to seek advice from the previous musical director and others who'd been involved in the Emmys and similar shows.

“It takes a lot of hubris to take on something new and assume that you can do everything on your own – regardless of the years of similar experience you may have,” Lenny says. “There were details around the Emmys that I needed to know. I wanted to ensure a successful show. When people support each other, the product will come out right.”

The lesson: There’s no shame in asking for help – in fact, it’s a sign of strength. It demonstrates that you want to do the job right. Asking for help is a skill that all successful people have in common. It’s how they deliver excellence.

I’m always here to support your success. Let’s work together to make this your best, most bold and bodacious year ever. You deserve it.